subject: How Steam Showers Work [print this page] So you have had a long and difficult day at work and you just got home feeling achy and tired all over and you just want to feel better and maybe lose the chill of the winter wind. These days, all you have to do is simply push a button in the shower stall, sit down on a bench, and melt into a relaxing and soothing cloud of steam that is scented with eucalyptus. After about 20 minutes you come out and you are now feeling great, all renewed and relaxed.
Usually, this type of pleasure can only be obtained at your local health spa. However, these days, more homeowners are choosing to have the same the experience in their homes by converting their ordinary shower stalls into a vaporous, warm haven known as a steam shower. In addition to the advantages to your sinuses and skin, you dont have to stand around waiting for a sauna to heat up or a whirlpool tub to fill. When youre finished luxuriating in it you simply turn the shower on and receive a very refreshing rinse.
All you have to do is use the digital control in the shower stall to get the steam going. This will trigger an electronic valve which will fill the steam generator that is the size of a breadbox with approximately one gallon of cold water. Then, similar to a teakettle that plugs in, the generators electric element will cause the water to boil. A single pipe will channel the hot vapor to the disperser, or steam head, or disperser, which will then fill the stall with wonderful steam that wont get higher in temperature than 118F degrees.
You can spend as much time in your steam shower as you want. If you use it for twenty minutes you will only use about 2 gallons of water. Compared to a water saving showerhead which will use approximately 50 gallons of water for the same amount of time, using it is saving water. However, your electric bill will probably increase. Steam showers are sized based on what the stall is lined with, its shape, and its volume in ft.3.
The normal 160 ft.3 steam shower stall requires a minimum of a 7 KW generator, is covered with ceramic tiles, and is about 4 X 5 X 8 ft. If you tile your shower stall with stone, youll require about twice as much capacity to generate steam.
